Dock Fender Rubber Rebuild

The challenge

A dock fender takes the load every time a vessel comes alongside, and repeated berthing tears and gouges the rubber face. Once chunks of rubber are missing, the fender no longer spreads the load the way it was shaped to, so the cushioning falls off and the impact carries through to the quay structure and the hull. The damage spreads from there, and the loss of profile leaves the berth working with less protection than it was designed for. The owner needed the fender back to a working shape without pulling and replacing the whole unit.

The Belzona approach

Assessment starts at the fender, mapping the tears, gouges, and missing rubber against the original profile. The torn faces are cleaned and prepared so the repair keys into sound rubber, then the missing sections are rebuilt cold with a flexible Belzona 2000 Series elastomer that moves with the fender instead of cracking off it. The material is built back to the working profile and the surface is dressed so it spreads load the way the original shape did. The whole repair is cold-applied on the fender in place, with no hot work and no replacement unit.

1. Assess and mapThe fender is inspected to map the tears, gouges, and missing rubber against the original working profile.
2. Surface preparationThe torn faces are cleaned and roughened back to sound rubber so the elastomer keys into a solid surface.
3. Rebuild the missing rubberGouged and missing sections are rebuilt cold with a flexible 2000 Series elastomer that flexes with the fender.
4. Reform and dress the profileThe material is built back to the working profile and the face is dressed so it spreads berthing load like the original shape.
5. Cure and return to serviceThe elastomer cures and the rebuilt face is inspected, and the fender goes back ready to take berthing loads.